Second Lawrence Berkeley shortlist coming soon

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory expects to come out with a short list of finalists for a potential second campus within in the next few weeks.

The lab issued a request for proposals that was due March 4 that drew 21 proposals from sites in cities including Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Alameda, Richmond, Albany, Walnut Creek and Dublin.

The lab had stated previously that it would release a shortlist by mid-April, said spokesman Jon Weiner.

“We haven’t done this before and it’s a lot to go through,” he said. “It’s a big decision.”

The RFP called for a site that can accommodate up to 2 million square feet of lab, office and research and development space including a 3,000 foot long building. The site must be within 25 minutes of the lab’s existing campus in the Berkeley Hills. Other criteria include proximity to transit and other amenities.

Weiner said the lab does not have an estimate for how many sites will make the short list. The goal is to make a final selection in June and move in by 2015.